This invention relates to a gel hydration tank and method for hydrating gels for use in oil and gas well treatment operations.
Well treatment fluids are often used in oil or gas wells for well completion procedures, to acidify the well formation, and/or increase the recovery of hydrocarbons from the well by creating fractures in the formations, and the like. Many well treatment fluids of this type are composed of water and polymer gel agents and are usually formed by transporting an appropriate polymer gel agent to the well site and mixing it with excess water before the mixture is transferred to a hydration tank. The mixture is introduced into the hydration tank and the finished fluid is withdrawn from the tank on a continuum, yet the mixture must be maintained in the tank an optimum time to allow the polymer gel agent to become hydrated to form a high viscosity well treatment fluid. Thus, the design of the hydration tank is important to ensure the above and thus form an optimum well treatment fluid.